What To Consider Before Using Synthetic Oil In Your Lawn Mower

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Regardless of the size of your yard or how many hours you mow per week, regularly changing your motor oil is a simple way to extend the life of your lawn mower. While the general rule is to change your oil after every 50 hours of run time, there is a question of what type of oil you should use – conventional or synthetic. There are pros and cons to each, including cost, longevity, and performance, as well as environmental impact. Each of those things should be considered before choosing to use synthetic oil in your lawn mower.

Before diving into those deciding factors, it is important to understand what synthetic oil is and how it differs from conventional motor oil. Conventional oil is essentially refined crude oil, the fossil fuel that has been extracted from the ground for human use for over a century. Synthetic oil, on the other hand, is a lab creation. Some synthetic oils actually use a modified petroleum base, while others are completely created from non-petroleum materials.

No matter how they are made, synthetic oils are typically considered more environmentally friendly partly because they rely on little or no petroleum, although the chemicals contained within synthetic motor oil are equally as damaging to the environment. However, the big nod in favor of synthetic oil regarding the environment is that it lasts longer and vaporizes more slowly than conventional oil.

The biggest advantages attributed to synthetic oil are its performance and longevity. On the performance front, it flows better in lower temperatures, yet performs better in higher temperatures than conventional. Synthetic oil is also better at guarding against engine wear and keeping your engine clean. As far as longevity is concerned, synthetic oil can last twice as long as conventional oil.

Given those advantages, it seems like a no-brainer to use synthetic oil. However, that performance and longevity comes at a price, as synthetic oil can be as much as triple the cost of conventional oil. The obvious offset to this is the fact that it only has to be changed about half as frequently as conventional oil. That means you can run your lawn mower approximately 100 hours before changing your oil. Realistically, most people won't hit that number during a mowing season, meaning you'll typically only need to change it once per year as you are preparing your mower for winter storage. Additionally, most lawn mowers don't hold all that much oil, so the added cost may be negligible.

Should you decide the advantages of synthetic oil make it worth the extra cost, you really don't need to change anything when it comes to your lawn mower maintenance routine. You will still use the same method for changing your lawn mower oil, referencing your owner's manual for recommendations on the type of synthetic oil you should use. Many synthetic motor oils are geared toward sales for use in automobiles. Those products can be used in lawn mowers, so long as they are the right weight and viscosity. There are also synthetic oils, such as the Briggs & Stratton 5W-30 Synthetic Oil, which are marketed specifically for use in lawn mowers.